Canadian Immigration News

IRCC invites 3,000 candidates in new Express Entry draw

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) invited a total of 3,000 candidates with a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 442 to apply for Canadian permanent residence in its third Express Entry draw of 2018, which took place on February 7.

The draw is the largest to take place since September 2017 and breaks a trend established over the previous five draws, each of which saw 2,750 ITAs issued.

This is the seventh time around that IRCC conducts a draw using the 'tie-break' procedure. In this event, multiple candidates who have the required cut-off score were ranked according to the date and time that their profiles were first submitted. Profiles that have been in the pool longer were prioritized for invitations over newer profiles. The tie-break date and time for this draw was May 29, 2017 at 07:01:15 UTC.

The latest federal Express Entry draw was not limited to any particular program; candidates in all programs managed through the Express Entry system were in a position to receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA).

In order to enter the Express Entry pool, interested candidates need to first meet the eligibility criteria for one of the three immigration programs managed through the Express Entry system — the Federal Skilled Worker (FSWC), Federal Skilled Trades Class (FSTC) or Canadian Experience Class (CEC).Once in the pool, candidates are allocated a CRS score based on factors including education, work experience, language ability, and other criteria. The CRS score determines candidates' ranking in the pool. With an ITA, candidates can submit an application for permanent resident status to IRCC.